Unorganized North Algoma District is an

unorganized area An unorganized area or unorganized territory () is any geographic region in Canada that does not form part of a municipality or Indian reserve. In these areas, the lowest level of government is Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial or te ...

in northeastern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, comprising all areas in

Algoma District Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793–1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the Ojibwe ...

, north of the

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie may refer to: People * Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a Native American tribe in Michigan Places * Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada ** Sault Ste. Marie (federal electoral district), a Canadian federal electora ...

Elliot Lake Elliot Lake is a city in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is north of Lake Huron, midway between the cities of Greater Sudbury, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie in the Northern Ontario region. Once dubbed the "uranium ca ...

corridor, which are not part of an incorporated municipality or a First Nation. It covers of land, and had a population of 6,050 in 2021. Many of these communities were/are stations on the

Algoma Central Railway The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario, Canada, that operates between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ontario, Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa, Ontario, Wawa. The area served by th ...

or were logging/mining towns.

Local services boards

* Aweres (includes Heyden and Island Lake) *

Batchawana Bay Batchawana Bay is a small bay in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, approximately north of Sault Ste. Marie. The name "Batchawana" is derived from the Ojibwe word ''obatchiwanang'' (o ...

Goulais and District Goulais and District is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Algoma District north of Sault Ste. Marie, it encompasses and provides services to the unincorporated townships of Dennis North, Fenwick, Havillan ...

(includes Bellevue, Bourdage Corner, Goulais Bay, Goulais River, Karalash Corners, Kirby's Corner and Sand Bay) *

Hawk Junction Hawk Junction is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario,

Missanabie Missanabie is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District at the northern terminus of Highway 651, inside the boundaries of the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. A designated place served by a local services ...

* Peace Tree * Searchmont (includes Glendale, Northland and Wabos) *

Wharncliffe and Kynoch Wharncliffe and Kynoch is a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, consisting of the unincorporated communities of Wharncliffe and Kynoch in the Algoma District.Highway 651 about 27 km or 30 minutes from

. There is a small

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

and some old buildings that serve as summer cottages. The

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

passes through the little town that has some trails to get to the nearby lakes such as Ogasiwi lake.

Dunns Valley

Dunns Valley is located 30 km north of Bruce Mines at the end of Highway 670.

Franz

Franz () is located at the junction of the

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

and

s near Hobon Lake, north of

and from Chapleau. Franz once had a booming economy in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

. The community's original name was Hobon. In 1914, the post office's name was changed to Franz, and the railway station was renamed from Hobon to Franz Station after former

Algoma Steel Algoma Steel Inc. (formerly The Algoma Steel Corporation, Limited; Essar Steel Algoma) is an integrated steel mill, primary steel producer located on the St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario), St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. ...

executive William Charles Franz. The station closed in 1991 and the building was moved to

Dubreuilville Dubreuilville is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District. Established as a company town in 1961 by the Dubreuil Brothers lumber company, Dubreuilville was incorporated as a municipality in 1977. The town ...

, where it serves as a library and tourist office. Today, Franz is little more than a forgotten ghost town, with many memories of the past either in complete disrepair or torn down.

Frater

Frater is an uninhabited dispersed rural community and unincorporated place with a

railway siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

on the

located north of Sault Ste. Marie. It is located on Frater Lake at the boundary with

Lake Superior Provincial Park Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario, covering about along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Ontario Highwa ...

, from the

Ontario Highway 17 King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a Provincial highways in Ontario, provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Onta ...

(Trans-Canada Highway) and from the shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

, and at geographic coordinates .

Goudreau

Goudreau () was built as a stopping point along the

. When the Cline mine opened, Goudreau sprang to life with some 200 residents coming to the area to work. Not all of the residents worked in the mine; some of them were prospectors in search of the gold, silver, copper and iron pyrite. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the mine was leased to the

Nichols Chemicals Nichols may refer to: People * Nichols (surname) * Nichol, a surname Places Canada * Nichols Islands, Nunavut United States * Nichols, California, an unincorporated community * Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California * Nichols, Connecticut * ...

company for the production of

sulphuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

. After the war ended, the market fell and the mine ceased operations. Other mines soon set up operations in the area. They went by the names of The Emily, Algold, Algoma Summit and The Edward. Each mine had a town site for their employees. The town continued to grow, with the building of a two-storey railway station, workers homes and a movie theatre. A post office was built in 1915 and closed in 1966. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

ultimately led to Goudreau's demise as the demand for gold came second to iron and steel for the war. The mines eventually closed down as costs increased. Located along Highway 519, Goudreau is now a virtual

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

, still used for logging operations and summer homes.

Goulais Mission

Harmony Beach

Harmony Beach is a small community built around a beach on Lake Superior.

Havilland Bay

Havilland Bay is a small unincorporated community built around a beach on

Island Lake

Island Lake (46.6711° N 84.2687°W) is a rural settlement in the Unorganized North Part of

in northeastern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is part of the Aweres local services board and is about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northeast of the community of Heyden, which sits on

, and is also 21.1 kilometers (13.1 mi) northeast of

, the district seat. The settlement is at the junction of

Ontario Highway 552 This is a list of secondary highways in Algoma District, most of which serve as logging roads or provide access to isolated and sparsely populated areas in the Algoma District of northeastern Ontario. Some of the shorter ones are also access route ...

and Ontario Highway 556, and the

passes through the community. Island Lake was once home to Canadian Military installments—some buildings still remain in the area, however much have been either torn down or completely renovated. Island lake was also once the location of a train station—part of the Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway's Main Line. To see the full—main article, click below.

Leeburn

Leeburn () is located along Highway 638. At one time there was a gold mine at Bass Lake, a few kilometres north of Leeburn. The quality of the ore found was not sufficient to make the mine profitable.

Lochalsh

Lochalsh () is a

and

rail siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

located at the very south end of

Wabatongushi Lake Wabatongushi Lake is a lake in Northern Ontario, Canada, fully within the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. The lake is highly diversified in its topography. The north end of Wabatongushi is shallow with many low, swampy areas. This is perfect habitat ...

, along the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

between

and Franz. A

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

ran between Lochalsh, Goudreau, and the Cline Mine. When the mine closed in 1946, both towns became ghost towns. There are still active mining operations in the area as well as a few ghost mines. The area around Lochalsh has a population of one.

Montreal River

Montreal River or Montreal River Harbour () is a very small community located at the mouth of the Montreal River just south of

. Immediately north of the community, the

Montreal River Hill Montreal River Hill is a hill in Unorganized North Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, located north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario near the Montreal River.Ontario Highway 17 King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a Provincial highways in Ontario, provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Onta ...

, simultaneously recognized for both its scenic vistas of the surrounding wilderness and its potential to create a

bottleneck Bottleneck may refer to: * the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle Science and technology * Bottleneck (engineering), where the performance of an entire system is limited by a single component * Bottleneck (network), in a communication network * ...

in the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

system because winter storms can render it impassable."The Montreal River hill: Nine years for nothing?"
''

Northern Ontario Business Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

'', May 16, 2006.

Northland Lake

The community of Northland Lake () is located near Highway 556 and found by following the Northland Lake Road that intersects it . The community is mostly a collection of summer cottages. The

also operated a train station in the community by the name of Northland Station. The building still stands to this day but has been converted to a private cottage.

Oba

Oba () is a dispersed rural community located at the junction of the

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

and the

s, approximately halfway between

and Hearst, and is a stop for Via Rail's ''

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

''. Oba is 100.92 km² (38.97 mi²) and its population in 2021 was 5, a 66.7% decrease from 2016; 2 out of the 21 dwellings are occupied. The community is accessible by forest roads extending from Highway 583, by train, or by boat; the community is popular with fishers and hunters due to the abundance of forestry and streams or lakes in the area and is the location of a remote Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and Forestry office.

Ophir

Ophir () is a sparsely populated farming community located 25 km north of

Bruce Mines Bruce Mines is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Huron in the Algoma District along Highway 17. The town of Bruce Mines had a population of 582 residents in 2016. The current mayor of Bruce Mines is ...

. It is centered at the intersection of the east–west and north–south portions of Highway 638. Non-native settlers began farming in the area around the time the mines of Bruce Mines closed in 1875. In November, 1889, William Moor, a farmer prospecting after the fall harvest, found ore containing gold atop a ridge overlooking what was then Lake Ickta (now Havilah Lake). After some ownership dispute, American investors organized the Ophir Gold Mining Company (named after the biblical

Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. Its existence is attested to by an inscribed pottery shard found at Tell Qasile (in modern-day Tel Aviv) in 1946, dating to the eighth century BC, which reads "''go ...

) to purchase the land in 1892. A small mining town was built, and gold mining operations commenced in 1893, producing 2489 tons of ore worth $8459. Operations ceased due to a

financial panic A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and ma ...

in the United States and a fatal mining accident. The name of the mine and lake were changed to

Havilah Havilah () refers to both a land and people in several books of the Bible; one is mentioned in Genesis 2:10–11, while the other is mentioned in the Generations of Noah (Genesis 10:7). In Genesis 2:10–11, Havilah is associated with the Garden ...

, another biblical reference, as mining resumed from 1910 to 1911, but the operation and its buildings were subsequently abandoned.Forty-fifth Annual Report of the Ontario Department of Mines
/ref> Ophir and area are still home to abandoned mine shafts and buildings; however, much are on private property and have not been maintained in decade. The area has also been referred to as 'Mcphee's Valley', an ode to a former family who settled in the community. Ophir has a

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...

and area roads are patrolled by the OPP; major government services are delivered either 25 km south, via Highway 638, in

, or 59 km to the east via

638 __NOTOC__ Year 638 ( DCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 638 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in E ...

Highway 17 Route 17, or Highway 17 can refer to the following roads: For the roads named "A17", see list of A17 roads. International * European route E17 * European route E017 Australia * Brisbane Valley Highway, Queensland * D'Aguilar Highway, Queensl ...

, in

. Ophir was the birthplace of the lat
Dr. James McPhee
a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who was shot down from the sky in Germany, he was imprisoned in a German war camp near

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

, and later escaped—he would ultimately help found the

Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (formerly York Central Hospital) is a hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and one of four in Regional Municipality of York, York Regional Municipality. Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hi ...

, where he was chief of staff. McPhee would later serve as president of the

Ontario College of Family Physicians The Ontario College of Family Physicians is an organization in Ontario for family physicians. It is known for its review of the health effects of pesticides. In 2004 researchers from the Ontario College of Family Physicians reviewed the epidemiolog ...

in 1970–71, he closed his family practice in 1992 but worked as a surgical assistant until he was 84. McPhee died in 2019, at the age of 94, in

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

, at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Parkinson

Poplar Dale

North of Ophir, this region was settled in the late 19th century for primarily agricultural reasons. The community comprises all peoples living along the Thessalon River and its tributaries. The community's major exports are beef and timber; Poplar Dale is home to the annual Northern Vibe Festival, a

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

related festival consisting of music, art, and cannabis related festivities.

Ranger Lake

The community of Ranger Lake () is located along Highway 556 at the south end of the lake with the same name. It is mostly a collection of summer cottages and resorts. There is an old fire tower.

Wabos

Wabos () is a railway siding along the

located approximately north-west of Searchmont.

Demographics

References

External links

Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association
{{Algoma District Geography of Algoma District Algoma North Populated places on Lake Superior in Canada